The present invention is a storage shed for storing material, contained in drums, which could present an environmental hazard if leakage of the material from one or more of the drums were to occur. The shed provides for containment of leaking material, protection of the drums from weather, easy access to all of the stored drums and security from unauthorized access or use of the drums.
Storage of materials which are potentially hazardous to the environment or to personnel within the workplace is regulated by various governmental agencies, and is of concern to business-insurance carriers and corporate safety personnel.
Many industrial and commercial materials, most being liquids, are contained in plastic or metal drums for the convenience of shipping, storing, and use. A xe2x80x9c55 gallon drumxe2x80x9d has evolved as a standard size for storage of most liquids, although smaller capacity drums are utilized for certain applications. The invention of the present application is disclosed with reference to storage of 4 of those standard drums, however, storage of drums of another size or modification of the capacity of the storage shed is not ruled out by the present invention.
An important component of a drum storage system is a means for containing material which might leak from the drums being stored. Many drum storage pallets are known which provide for the containment of material in the event of leakage from one or more of the stored drums. Regulations, referred to above, specify the capacity required in relation to the storage capacity of the storage pallet. A drum storage pallet which can be used as a component of the present invention is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,931 entitled xe2x80x9cHazardous Material Spill Skidxe2x80x9d, dated May 3, 1994, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In addition to providing the required containment means when hazardous materials are being stored, it is often desirable to provide protection for the drums from the elements, when storage is in an area unprotected from the weather. Also, it is desirable to limit unauthorized access to the stored material in both indoor and outdoor storage areas.
The present invention provides for the above requirements as well as providing other features and conveniences described below.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure for storing, in an environmentally safe manner, potentially hazardous materials which are contained in drums.
It is another object of the present invention to provide protection for stored drums from the elements, when outdoor storage is carried out.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide secure storage for stored drums, when protection from unauthorized access is desired.
The present invention has a rectangular support surface, for supporting a plurality of drums which contain a liquid which is potentially hazardous to the environment. The drums are stored with an upright orientation. Positioned below the support surface is a tray for containing any liquid which might leak from one or more of the drums. A rotatably openable cover encloses the drums, and is supported by the tray. The cover has two rotatable sections which are configured to pivot one section on the other section and to have a telescoping arrangement. When one of the sections is rotatably opened, the opened section is supported by the remaining section which remains closed. Access to the drums is available from the directions of two opposed edges of the rectangular support surface.